Rhomboidal shaped boat



Dec. 8, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 2, 1958 CHARLES A. PARR INVENTOR.

BY ,M

Dec. 8, 1959 c. A. PARR anomaomr. SHAPED BOAT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 2, 1958 FIG CHARLES A. PARR INVENTOR.

BY M nited States Patent RHOMBOIDAL SHAPED BOAT Charles A. Parr, Seattle, Wash.

Application June 2, 1958, Serial No. 739,187 3 Claims. 01. 11461) This present invention relates to a boat formed of four relatively simple parts which can be assembled to provide an enclosed cabin type of boat to give maximum security in rough water, and to further provide that deep, narrowbeamed pontoons can be employed to support the disclike boat above the waters surface, and give it increased speed either under sail or with moderate power.

There has been a gradual change in the design characteristics of boats. This change is believed to have been effected by the improvement in boat building materials and also by the availability of internal combustion engines of either the inboard or outboard types, which are able to provide a high horsepower output with a minimum of weight. One extreme of this boat design swing is represented by the old canoe, hollowed out of a single tree trunk. In such boats it was not uncommon to have a length to beam ratio up to 20:1. Early power boats, built for pleasure, particularly, were characterized by a very narrow beam and extreme length, and a survivor of this proportioning is the naval craft of the order of destroyers and cruisers which are designed like the log canoe to displace the water and pass through it rather than on top of it.

With the ability to make a lightweight boat and provide it with ample power to make it plane on top of the water, an entirely new type of boat has come into being, the extreme being the three point hydroplanes or some forms of the hydro-foil boat s. In between these two extreme types is the planing type of /-bottomed boats which now number many millions, as these are the characteristics which have created the designs in the present outboard run-about and cruising boats. In this type of boat the length to beam ratio is rarely greater than 3:1, a more common proportion being 2 /2 :1 and in many instances a ratio of 2:1 is employed successfully. For the small boat for family use and the like, these proportions give a very safe boat in that they are most diflicult to capsize even when the live load carried by the boat is normally raised to a relatively high level as by persons standing up.

These changes, representing an evolution in boat structures has prompted my present boat design, which consists basically of two pieces, both roughly plate-shaped that may be fitted together with their concave sides facing each other to make a closed boat with an interior cabin. These two parts can be put together with sealable joints and sealable openings, as by grooves and rubber stripping and the like and thus produce a boat that is very safe against capsizing or swamping. This is the type that is now being explored quite generally for lifeboats and for certain types of fishing craft where there is no great need for speedy movement of the boat. In producing a pleasure boat, however, there is a need to provide a boat that can cover reasonable distances at a fair rate of speed, whether under -sail propulsion or power.

To adapt my boat to these practical needs, I prefer to employ a pair of parallel disposed pontoons fitting preferably in grooves on the under side of the hull in a resilient Patented Dec. 8, 1959 and detachable manner so they can be quickly removed if desired as for beaching the boat. The pontoons, made after the best mode for pontoons, which normally indicate a narrow beam and considerable depth, will float the boat portion made of the two plate shaped pieces. This provides a catamaran and thus makes available the remarkable sailing qualities of this type of boat, and at the same time, under power, increases the speed, within a moderate range and produces a very pleasant boat to use, in that the pontoons are displacement hulls and cut through the minor disturbances of the water thus providing a pleasant, smooth ride.

A principal object of my invention, therefore, is to provide a four part boat which can be quickly assembled or disassembled and thus provide all the desirable charao teristics of a safe wide-beamed boat or by addition of the pontoons provide a catamaran with its desirable characteristics.

A further object of this present invention is to provide a four part boat, which when made of currently available lightweight materials, can be broken down quickly into the four components and disassembled on a beach and the independent parts carried up above tidal or wave action.

A further object of this invention is to provide a secure, closable cabin boat which can be battened down to give the same degree of security for the occupants as the current best thinking in lifeboats has been able to produce for that purpose.

A further object of this present invention is to provide a four part boat, in which the two plate-like portions can be resiliently clamped together to produce a closed hull onto which can be resiliently secured, spaced and parallel arranged pontoons.

Further objects, advantages and capabilities will be apparent from the description and disclosure in the drawings, or may be comprehended or are inherent in the device.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a top plan view of a boat made after the teachings of my present invention.

Figure 2 is a perspective View showing just the rear or entry portion of a boat and showing how it may be opened up to show a cockpit space as for fishing, lounging and the like.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of a boat made after the teachings of this present invention.

Figure 4 is a front view, showing my boat with the pontoons carrying the weight of the boat.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary vertical, sectional view, taken through the longitudinal center of my boat and illustrating a preferred form of mast and boom for sailing purposes.

Figure 6 illustrates a preferred form of resilient coupling means for releasably securing the pontoons to the hull structure proper and the two hull sections together.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary elevation showing a preferred form of rudder arrangement.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary elevation in section taken along the line 8-8 of Figure l and illustrating the sealing means employed between the two hull members.

In the accompanying drawings, throughout which like reference characters indicate like parts the numeral 10 designates the lower hull member, which is arranged normally to have appreciably greater depth than the cover 12, which is adapted to interlock on resilient packing around its margins with the margins of hull member 10 so that a watertight joining can be made between the two parts. This provides a safe, enclosed hull with all the sea keeping capabilities of the modern enclosed lifeboat. The hull form, under my concept, is probably in its most efiicient shape when it is generally round,

, family of fishes are the pectoral fins.

However, there are certain distinct advantages in the rhomboidal shape, such as is shown in a top plan view of the ray family of fishes, such as the manta-ray for instance. -Thiscprovidesia shapethat is more ;s e a l indl y than the round shape and gains a great deal in lateral stability by virtue of the side projections whichjin the'ray This type of form is quite generally illustrated in Figures 1 111114 The ex; treme tips of the fin portions, as 14 and 16, as'will 'bef noted in Figures 1 and 4, do not have great'bllQyancy because of the reduction of displacement but they do give astabilizing effect, well off to either side of the, boat and in this respect can be likened to the outrigger form of boat, which has been developed so satisfactory by the South Sea island natives. These peoples ofnecessityuse tree trunks for the central load supporting boatportion and then Outriggers which normally may not touch the water, or at least only one of them at a timeand they, achieve in effect the same desirable stabilizing efiect .Ob-. tained by the pectoral fin portions of .the present de sign, as illustrated. Y f

In the interest of lightness and cheapness for a .very strong and sturdy boat, it is preferred to form my boat of some of the reinforced resinous materials, such as, for instance, the fibre glass types, wherein glassfibres are used to reinforce resin based plastics. T

This makes it possible to make a boat form of .the fibre glass mats and the liquid resins so that hull forms of the typeillustrated can be very economically.pro-. duced, and bypersons of quite limited experience. .'Such an operation, it is believed, is quite generally understood ing. The larger hull portions as hulls and 12 can actually be made over dirt or sand stabilized 'molds wherein the fine materials that lend themselves-to easy preparation in a smooth surface are usually stabilized with cementused in proportions that, can beaccurately determined by the cement research facilities, Whose services are quite generally made available by the vendors of cement. With such a mold form, which may be of either male or female form, the fibre glass matting c an be put into place and the resin flowed orpainted over the same until the appropriate bonding is obtained between the fibre glass and resins. On curing'a unitary structure is provided that is ideal for this ser'vice,'in' that it has great resistance to shock, such as might be occasioned by the boat grounding and being subjected to wave action and the like. I a 'In the lower hull member 10 any reasonablenumber of port holes maybe provided in order to give visibility and ventilation. At the rear portion of the lower hull member the breadth is reduced to give a" more or less conventional cockpit space as indicated at 22. 'A preferred arrangement of this is to provide cover -portions as 24 and 25 hingedly secured to the lower hull member as at 26 and capable of being hinged over to give table or seating space outside the confines of the hull proper. Braces as 27 may be employed. In association with the hinged portions 24 and 25 a windshield 30 is provided. This may have any of the approved types of safety glass or the heavier transparent plastic type of materials which may be reinforced by the enclosing framework 32. This framework is preferably hinged to the upper hull member 12 by the double strap type hinges 33 which are joined by hinge pins at 34 to frame 32 and by hinge pin arrangements 36 to the top of hull member 12. This makes it possible, it is believed to be evident, for the windshield to be hinged backwardly and down so that it will cover the opening'shown at 40. This will provide, not only enclosure for this opening but a large area of light transmitting material so as to give light in the interior cabin space. When the wind shield is being used as such, supporting braces as42a re 7 preferably provided. I t V to insure a Watertight joint.

' ber 10, indicated at 5 0' provides a very suitable support I due to the common practice ofthie. type of 'boatbuildv As will be noted in Figures 1 and 2 particularly, the windshield does not extend fully to the starboard side of the cabin but provides for a passageway 46. To complete the enclosure of the upper rear portion of the cabin, an additional preferably hinged, cover 47 is provided. When this cover is hinged up and onto the cabin roof as in Figure 1, step 48 is available for use. Also, the exposed side of cover 47 is preferably provided with a nonskid surface 49. I I Q .j

The upper hull portion 12 is joined to the lower hull portion 10 by an interlocking joint indicated at 44 which may be provided with suitable resilient sealing means Rubber or rubber substitutes, as neoprene, in a soft temper are satisfactory. A coacting rib and groove as illustrated at 45 and 47 respectively are desirable to insure retaining the sealing member in place. Suitable resilient tie-down members, such as illustrated in Figure 5 .and.Figure .6..may ,be employed to. insure that the joint will be maintained ina wa-.

ter-tight condition yet canbe easily released so thatmembers 10 and 12 can be easily separatedlfor piece byjpiece cartage of the boat. The transom portion of hull memfor outboardmotors and the like, such as'is illustrated inFigure 3 at 52. l W 7 For use when theboatis under sail-or being towed, a rudder 56 is provided as illustrated in Figure 7. The rudder is removably mounted on a slide fitting 55 adapted to slide on a T track 54 which in turn is fixedly secured.

to the transom 50. conventional gudgeon arrangement is employed to hingedly securetherudder to-track 54. A tiller 57 of conventional form is also employed.

It is normally considered desirable that whena motor is employed as illustrated thata forward escape means be provided and this has been arranged for in the'forward hatchway 60 which is suitably closed by the hinged cover 62. Cover 62 is preferably provided .with a port 64, which normally may be covered byaIsnap-in form of transparent plastic closure soas to give a source of light in the forward portion of the hull. A hatch'ofthis order should be of suflicient diameter so that a'person can have free access through the same for..escape.purposes and also for the purpose of handling lines inanchoring and handling lines at a dock.

In association with opening 64,.a mast step is provided of the longitudinal center or keel 7 4,are the pontoons 76 and 77. These pontoons 'are'quite accurately positioned,

by relatively short grooves 78 molded in the lowerhull member 10. :It has been founddesirable ;to provide that the pontoons be yieldably connected ,to hull member 10 in order to prevent destructive shockjloading andja-preferred form of such means is illustrated in Figure 6. This unit' consists of a central shaftfit) terminating in a ball 82 which is enclosed inasuitable mount 83, which mounts are in turn secured to theuppersurface of the .pontoons. A toggle locking arrangement is provided. by the toggle bar. 84 which is adapted to engage: the ,end' of a slot in rod and to'be pivoted at:85 to the toggle hand member 86 which niember'in-turn is 'pivot abl y' secured at 87 to the spring housing 88. This arrangementplaces 'an initial compression on spiring; 90 and yet, by raising the handle in the direction of the arrow-91-, this spring tension 7. can be released and the eye 92' released from 3 Method of use This present boat is intended as a craft in which persons, particularly families can take extended trips in any waters that are safe for the better types of boats. Such a family craft, if it is going to serve the persons of the lower income brackets, must be one that can be economically built and maintained and also one that can be stored and handled easily. A boat of the type illustrated in which the maximum length and width is approximately 15 feet has been found to give all the basic space required for a man, his wife, and say two small children. It can have limited cooking facilities, ample floor area for beds and may, if desired, be supplied with an internal marine type toilet. In the side fin portions there is ample room for the storage of supplies and gear of various types. A boat of this order, when floating on its pontoons as 76 and 77 can be driven at reasonable speed by an outboard motor of moderate power. Further, because of the well known characteristics of the deep-hulled pontoon type of catamaran, these boats work very well as sail boats and are particularly satisfactory in going to windward, a point of sailing that is very difiicult for the average wide beamed sail boat of conventional construction form.

When cruising in exposed waters in a boat of this order made of the reinforced plastics, it would be quite within the realm of sensible procedure to permit this craft to be washed ashore on any sand beach, for instance, and this could be easily and safely done with the hatches battened down because there would be practically no possibility of the same being capsized even when passing through considerable surf. When the boat is driven ashore as high as the waves would carry it the occupants could then climb out either the hatch or the cockpit exits. Then by releasing the connecting members of the type shown in Figure 6, and of which there are two on each pontoon, the pontoons could be easily disconnected from the hull and the hull itself could be dismembered into the upper and lower portions and these portions could either be carried or moved on air filled rollers or the like up onto the beach above the range of tide water or wave action. The hull portions and 12 could be reunited and dry land housing would be available.

It is believed that this present boat will help a large number of persons to take advantage of the pleasures of boating and to do it in a manner that is inexpensive and much safer than the average small boat. It appears that the general proportions of the boat fit well into the technological developement of watercraft. The facility with which the pontoons can be connected or disconnected makes it possible to employ this craft either as a catamaran or as a shallow draft displacement hull craft without the use of pontoons. It is believed that the flexibility in using the various parts of this craft will make it a very useful boat and bring the pleasures of boating to a large number of people to whom it is now denied.

It is believed that it will be clearly apparent from the above description and the disclosure in the drawings that the invention comprehends a novel construction of a rhomboidal shaped boat.

Having thus disclosed the invention, I claim:

1. A demountable boat, comprising: a lower hull member of wide boat-like form; a cover hull member, of appreciable less depth of hull adapted to interlock with the lower hull member around their margins; resilient packing means disposed between said hull members, around their margins to insure a watertight joint and to give a degree of working between the two hull members; a plurality of pontoons adapted to operatively and demountably engage said lower hull member in guide means secured to said lower hull member, and resilient and quick releasing means for securing the two hull members together and for securing said pontoons to said lower hull member.

2. A demountable boat of rhomboidal form comprising: a lower hull member of wide boat-like form; a cover hull member of appreciable less depth of hull adapted to interlock with the lower hull member around their margins and to form a cabin enclosure; resilient packing means disposed between said hull members, around their margins to insure a watertight joint between the two hull members; a plurality of pontoons adapted to flexibly and demountably engage said lower hull member in guide grooves formed in said lower hull member, and resilient and quick releasing means for securing the two hull members together and for securing said pontoons to said lower hull member.

3. A boat demountable into four separate parts, comprising: a lower hull member of wide boat-like form; a cover hull member adapted to resiliently engage the lower hull member around their margins; packing means disposed between said hull members, around their joining margins to insure a Watertight joint that will insure the quick and certain breaking of the joint; two parallel disposed pontoons adapted to operatively and demountably engage said lower hull member and resilient and quick releasing means for securing the two hull members together and for securing said pontoons to said lower hull member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 996,444 Yarrington June 27, 1911 1,315,267 White Sept. 9, 1919 1,832,046 Olson Nov. 17, 1931 2,745,370 Manis May 15, 1956 

